But will it be ‘Access All Areas’?
Such a secretive military government has, according to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, finally granted permission for all aid workers to enter the country and begin serious relief operations after a cyclone devastated the country. According to the BBC “[a]bout 78,000 people died and 56,000 are missing after the 2 May cyclone”. (bbc.co.uk)
Is this a sincere response by a government initially caught off-guard, or a sign of desperation from an impoverished nation under severe international scrutiny.
Compare this to the Chinese government’s quick (and somewhat out of character) response to a recent earthquake in Sichuan province. A sceptic might suggest that since the spotlight of the Olympic Games (and the ’small’ issue of Tibetan independence) has been firmly planted on China, the Chinese Communist rulers have taken steps to appear more ‘open’ by appeasing foreign media. Having said this, of course, it is important to compare the economic might of China to the crippled economy of Burma.
According to the BBC (again) “55,239 people [are] now known to have died in the 12 May quake”. The swift response of a government with a more-than-questionable human rights record is a positive step towards disease minimisation and life saving relief after the natural disaster.
I still don’t the Olympic Games though, wherever they’re held.
Mr Mithen
Picture: UN Website
Filed under: General, World Politics
